This disclosure relates generally to firearms and, more particularly, to a handheld firearm with a combination lock.
All positional designations that are used in this patent relate to a weapon in the normal firing position, namely, with the barrel in a generally horizontal orientation, and are considered from the viewpoint of the person who is shooting the weapon (i.e., the shooter). If the shooter holds the weapon with his/her right hand, for example, then his/her index finger lies to the right, and thumb lies to the left of the weapon. The weapon is then pointing xe2x80x9cforwardxe2x80x9d away from the shooter.
A hand-held firearm is known from U.S. Pat. No. 3,735,519. This publication depicts a conventional automatic firearm in which a combination lock with a vertical axis is positioned above and in front of the trigger, and closely behind the shaft of a magazine. This combination lock has three numeral bearing dials which are coaxial. The dials are positioned one above the other and are rotatable, such as is already known from a simple combination lock for briefcases, for example. A recess is located in the left side of the weapon casing. Sections of the three number dials are visible and can be rotated by means of a finger through this recess. In one specific and unchangeable, relative position of the three number dials (e.g., xe2x80x9c123xe2x80x9d), a lever is moveable to the rear. The lever remains set (i.e., immovable) in every other relative position of the number dials. This lever is connected with the trigger bar. The bar is, thus, movable when the lever is released, but is not movable when the lever is fixed. The lever, and, thus, the bar and the trigger as well, can only be moved if a certain number combination is set by means of the number dial. The weapon can, therefore, only be fired in this one position of the number dial.
When the weapon is uncocked, the shooter can very easily check whether the combination lock is blocked or open by pulling the trigger. If the trigger moves markedly to the rear upon pulling with the finger, then the combination lock is open and the weapon can be used. The combination lock can, however, also be blocked when the weapon is cocked (i.e., the hammer is located to the rear). If the shooter wants to ascertain whether the loaded weapon is ready to be fired or not when the weapon is cocked, then he/she must check the setting of the numbers on the combination lock. That is to say, if he/she were to pull on the trigger and the lock were open, then a shot would be fired. Such checking of the position of the numbers of the lock is not actually possible in darkness or in the event of a lack of time.
One older automatic firearm has a relatively great amount of free space available in the casing. In modern weapons, this no longer the case. A combination lock of the above described type cannot be accommodated, particularly in a modem self-loading pistol, without the pistol grip of the weapon being changed in a substantial and inconvenient manner.
It is also important for customers who want to purchase a weapon to like the weapon. This principle is applicable for private individuals as well as for military and law enforcement personnel who are entrusted with the procurement of new weapons. A safety device which disfigures the weapon is, therefore, an unusually great obstacle to sales and cannot, for that reason, be accepted.
Furthermore, safety devices should not be too clearly obvious. A lawbreaker or other opponent who seizes a weapon in a scuffle and wishes to use the weapon immediately should not, as much as possible, be aware of the safety lock.
On the other hand, the known safety lock with rotatable number dials discussed above has a whole series of advantages in comparison with all electronic safety devices. For example, it does not need a battery, and is, thus, still completely ready for use even after decades without any maintenance.
Safety locks with keys are also known. After the loss of the key, however, a weapon equipped and secured with such a lock is useless, at least for the moment.
There are also locks with several pushbutton keys which are to be punched in or depressed in order to release the weapon for firing. One such self-loading weapon is known from U.S. Pat. No. 5,946,841. This firearm is equipped with four pushbutton keys which are positioned, in a clearly visible manner, in the extension of a pistol grip under the slide support unit. Because there are only four buttons, there are only a total of 16 setting possibilities. Thus, a mischievous little boy could decode the lock combination within a few minutes.
It has also already been proposed to equip handguns with rotatable number dials. However, in these proposals the dials are positioned either in areas where they come into immediate contact with the hand holding the weapon during shooting (see U.S. Pat. No. 5,743,039) and can thus be accidentally adjusted in an undesirable manner, or else require a considerable widening of the pistol grip of the weapon (as can be inferred from U.S. Pat. No. 5,930,930).
Incidentally, the need to produce a weapon, particularly a handgun, which cannot be used if it falls into the wrong hands, at least in the short-term, has existed for decades. In particular, the case in which children unintentionally come upon a weapon and play around with it, often ends tragically. If, however, a burglar steals a weapon, for example, and a mechanic can then work on it in complete peace in a workshop, then it will undoubtedly become usable again in every case, regardless of the sophistication of the safety device.